Turnovers Prove Costly at Mount Union

The Heidelberg University men’s basketball team suffered an 85-72 setback to host Mount Union College in an Ohio Athletic Conference showdown at Timken Gymnasium, on the campus of Mount Union.
 
Both teams combined for 30 turnovers, with Mount Union holding a 21-6 edge in points scored off of miscues. Following the win, Mount Union improves to 11-8 overall and 5-7 in league action, while the Berg stands at 6-13 and 3-9.
 
The first half featured five ties and three lead changes, with neither team holding a lead larger than five points, until the final two minutes. Mount Union used a 5-0 run to extend its lead to eight, 34-26, with 1:31 on the clock. The Berg outscored the Purple Raiders 5-2 to cut its deficit to five at the break, 36-31.
 
Mount Union scored first in the second half and never looked back. The Purple Raiders extended its lead as many as 22 points on two occasions, with the later coming with 6:44 left in the game. John Miller (Millersburg, Ohio / West Holmes) nailed two three-pointer’s in a row to pull Heidelberg within 11, 81-70, with just under two minutes left, but that would be as close as the Berg would get.
 
For the game, Mount Union connected on 27-of-49 shots from the field (55.1%) compared to a 20-for-48 outing by the Berg (41.7%). The Purple Raiders held a slim advantage on the glass, 32-27. Of the 30 turnovers, just 18 were forced.
 
Leading four in double figures for the Berg was Travis Kinn (Alvada, Ohio / New Riegel) with 20 points. Kinn scored six points from the field and rounded out his scoring at the free throw line. He sank 14-of-14 from the charity stripe on the day. Jim Smalley (Middleburg Heights, Ohio / Midpark) and Miller each finished with 14 points apiece. Smalley added five rebounds, two steals and an assist. Miller’s 14 points was a career-high for the freshman. He hit four treys en route to the career outing. Josh Calver (Shelby, Ohio / Shelby) contributed 10 points and grabbed a team-leading seven boards.
 
Dave Pellerite led the way for Mount Union with 20 points and 11 rebounds.